What happens when you don’t hold on to a dream? Langston Hughes’ “Dreams” and “Dreams Deferred” discuss this issue. They are written with similar themes, but differ in writing styles. In the poem “Dreams” a direct approach is used. Hughes uses statements and metaphors to make his point. The authors statements tell us to hold on to our dreams. This is the focus of the poem. He uses metaphors to reiterate this thought, and expand the readers understanding of the serious nature of this statement. The first metaphor from this poem is, “life is a broken winged bird, that cannot fly.” Hughes’ statement coupled with this metaphor explains that life has no purpose without dreams, just as a bird cannot fly with broken wings. The second metaphor from the poem is, “life is a barren field, frozen with snow.” This is another strong image portrayed by the author through statement and metaphor. Hughes is saying there is nothing to life without dreams. It is clear that the author has strong opinions, and uses descriptive language to share his thoughts. In the poem “Dream Deferred,” Hughes makes a similar point regarding dreams. His basic belief is that no person should loose sight of his or her dreams because in the end, life will loose all purpose. Hughes’ “Dreams Deferred” differs from “Dreams” in that he uses questions instead of statements, and similes instead of metaphors. An Example of a simile from this poem is, “does it dry up like a raisin in the sun?” This quote is questioning where a dream goes. A second example, “or fester like a sore and then run?”, asks the same question. These similes clearly depict the view that if you don’t commit to your dreams, then something bad will happen and your dreams will be crushed.

“Dreams” and “Dreams Deferred” both are written by Langston Hughes, and are poems about lost dreams. Although the style of each poem is different, the overall theme of both...

YOU MAY ALSO FIND THESE DOCUMENTS HELPFUL

...Inspiration From Life
LangstonHughes had many influences in his life that is reflected in his work. Every author has a "muse" for his\her writings because he\she is inspired differently by a number of things. Influence and inspiration are relatively the same, they both affect a person. How that person is affected is the way he\she perceives and feels about it. Hughes was influenced by several things. One of which was a famous poet named Walt...

...LangstonHughes
The Harlem Renaissance took place in 1920s to the mid 1930s, it happened in New York City and it was a cultural bloom. The literary and artistic movement spurred a new black cultural identity. The reason why it occurred was because after the civil war the former slaves all went and lived in the same area, and that was the area where people started creating their own art and literary to define who they were. During the Harlem Renaissance the black...

...
During the Harlem Renaissance, LangstonHughes becomes a voice. In his writing and poetry he spoke with the word I. “I” representing the African American culture. During this time period the African Americans were experiencing extreme hardship. Life was difficult for them. Throughout his literature he writes about the concept of dreams, but he also digs deeper into the souls of the African Americans and spreads hope to all of his people, especially during that...

...for a black or white person so this poem shows equality. This poem is ironic because of the light hearted tone which is contrast to the normality of racism.
The line that stood out to me was “On the bus we're put in the back, but there isn’t any back to a merry-go-round!” This shows the symbolic image of a merry go round and its equality.
Dressed Up
This poem is ironic. Langston talks about how he got all these new stuff but he has no one to tell him he is sweet...

...about LangstonHughes and will discuss the topics hughes felt were important and his poems will be broken down to show you there was and is a deeper meaning behind everything. and all of his poems can be interpreted in many ways and can even be analyzed and can be relatable to all races.
LangstonHughes is a well known African American writer /poet. Hughes is known for his hunger for change...

...LangstonHughes: Life and Work
Hughes, an African American, became a well known poet, novelist, journalist, and
playwright. During the Harlem Renaissance, LangstonHughes gained fame and respect for his ability to express the Black American experiences in his works. LangstonHughes was one of the most original and versatile of the twentieth  century black writers. Influenced by Laurence...

...Compare and contrast blues and jazz poems of LangstonHughes
When you’re reading a poem written by LangstonHughes, you can feel his energy. The way he uses his words to describe what he’s writing about is amazing. Many people feel like LangstonHughes is one of the greatest poets of all-time, and I’m one of those people who believe in this. Most of the poems written by...

...LangstonHughes and Leonardo Da Vinci positive aspect of life
Devante Gray
Professor Cain
Composition II
9/17/12
My paper is about LangstonHughes and Leonardo Da Vinci and how they have an effect on their readers and their positive aspects on life.
Leonardo Da Vinci was born in 1452 in a town named Vinci in Italy. He was a renaissance painter and he painted realistically, he used light and dark colors in his paintings. In his...